SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: How holding nerve shaped Owls victory

Richard Fidler
Sheffield Wednesday

SHOWING patience and belief in what they are doing was key to Sheffield Wednesday’s last-gasp winner on Saturday according to manager Dave Jones.

Looking in control at 1-0 up through Chris Lines’ first-half goal, Wednesday squandered numerous chances to double their advantage and kill off the challenge of Carlisle.

It wasn’t too surprising when James Berrett lashed home an equaliser, with eight minutes to play, which could have severely hindered the Owls hopes of automatic promotion.

However, Michail Antonio provoked massive scenes of celebration at Hillsborough with an injury-time winner that gave Jones a sense of satisfaction that he didn’t make any changes.

He said: “You have to be positive. I was thinking about taking off full-backs and putting on strikers but you lose your shape.

“I felt we were creating enough from what we were doing. So sometimes you can make too many changes and it takes your rhythm away.

“We had the rhythm, we had the momentum. It was just hopefully somebody was going to have that composure which Michail did and put the ball into the back of the net.”

Wednesday’s best chance of making it 2-0 came in the first half when Jermaine Johnson elected to shoot instead of squaring to the waiting Gary Madine.

The 18-goal Madine also missed one golden opportunity in front of the Kop and came close on a couple of half chances.

Jones said he feared that all three points weren’t going to be taken.

“We were disappointed that we dropped points here against Walsall and last week at Colchester,” he said,

“There’s still a bit of football to be played at this moment in time, so that’s why it was so important to get three

points. Confidence wise I don’t have to worry about anything like that at this football club because they’re enjoying their training, they’re enjoying what we’re trying to do and it’s coming together the way we’re trying to play so I’ve no complaints on that score.”

The manager, who has overseen eight wins and two draws since taking over from Gary Megson in March, says the goals must start flowing soon.

“We just need to be a bit more clinical in front of goal,” he said. “Chances wise, with what we created last week and what we created against Carlisle you must be looking at over 40 chances between the two games.”